In this episode of the podcast, we interview deep ecology teacher and rainforest activist John Seed.
Together, we discuss the importance of altering our sense of self such that it includes the natural world, the role psychedelics can play in that process, and how, even if the world as we know it burns and collapses, life itself will thrive through it all as it always has.
We also talk about the philosophy of deep ecology; healing ourselves from the illusion of anthropocentrism; falling into the apathy of the modern world; “honouring our pain for the world”; and how, when expressed, despair becomes empowerment. As well as the dance between present ecological crisis and the thriving of life for billions of years; the Disney-fication of nature vs the brutality of life being itself; and where psychedelics fit into deep ecology and environmental activism.
Far from being a downer episode, as one might expect with topics such as these, I found my conversation with John refreshing, empowering, and genuinely inspiring. To me, this is one of the small handful of interviews I have done that impacted me in a significantly positive way. I hope you experience something similar.
Enjoy.
John Seed is founder of the Rainforest Information Centre (RIC).John is an accomplished bard, songwriter, and film-maker. Since 1979 he has been involved in the direct actions to protect the Australian rainforests and received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 1995, for services to conservation.
John spearheaded RIC’s endangered species and climate change campaigns, launched a successful campaign to protect the world’s largest remaining population of Asian elephants and another that protected the Cardamom Mountains rainforests in Cambodia. His work in Ecuador recently resulted in a Supreme Court decision to eject a mining company from the Los Cedros Biological Reserve. This was the first time that the “Rights of Nature” clause in the Ecuadorean constitution was used to protect country, and the precedent set has resulted in other legal victories and lands protected. In 2023, he was one of 109 arrested in the Rising Tide kayak blockade of the world’s largest coal port, Newcastle, which exports fully 1% of the world’s greenhouse gasses.
Read an AI summary of this episode
John Seed, founder of the Rainforest Information Centre in Australia, discusses deep ecology and environmental activism. He explains that deep ecology aims to heal the illusion of separation between humans and nature caused by anthropocentrism. Seed emphasizes the importance of developing an ecological identity that recognizes humans as part of the natural world rather than separate from it.
Additionally, he also describes the experiential workshops he leads to help people reconnect with nature and process their grief about environmental destruction, presenting that fully feeling our pain for the world can lead to empowerment rather than despair.
The interview explores the role of psychedelics in fostering ecological awareness. Seed shares how his own psychedelic experiences in the 1970s led him to environmental activism. He sees potential for psychedelics to help shift people’s sense of self to include the natural world.
Seed offers a long-term perspective on humanity’s impact, noting that life on Earth has survived previous mass extinctions. While acknowledging the severity of the current ecological crisis, he remains committed to environmental protection efforts.
Overall, the discussion highlights deep ecology’s aim to transform human relationships with nature through experiential practices, activism, and expanding one’s sense of self beyond the human to encompass the entire living Earth.
John Seed is founder of the Rainforest Information Centre (RIC). John is an accomplished bard, songwriter, and film-maker. Since 1979 he has been involved in the direct actions to protect the Australian rainforests and received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 1995, for services to conservation.
